Tremulous and Tender
by CLASSICDUH
Summary: What if Jonathan left Mina for a more 'stable' woman the night she met Dracula? Until their love is found, Mina stays with her good friend Lucy. (My first Dracula story :D So excited)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I think I am just going at it today with the story writing. Anyway, don't get mad if it's not what you want or if it's too short. Anyway, here's my first Dracula story.**

"Mina!" Lucy went into the bathroom, where Mina was in a terrible state of panic. She checked herself in the mirror, making sure everything was okay, "Mina, come on! It's a party. You have to dance."

"I don't want to. What if they see me like a fool?"

"You are not a fool," she retorted, grabbing a small case of powder from her bag, "You are beautiful," Lucy dabbed some of the powder onto Mina's face and smiled, "There. Now you don't look so pale," Mina shivered, holding onto her already cloaked arms. She was a nervous wreck ever since Jonathan left her, "I understand you're upset about John, but there are other men out there."

"But what if they don't like me."

"Mina, you're a beautiful woman. Someone is bound to like you. Now, come on. We are missing out."

Mina went with Lucy outside the powder room and looked around, making sure that everyone was busy. The party was underway, people were dancing, trays of drinks were being served; all Mina had to do was join. Lucy smiled to Mina and told her one last time to enjoy herself, so she tried. Lucy went off with a man she had met and Mina stood there, arms wrapped tightly together. She noticed, in a corner of the room, a man draped in a black cape. He made eye contact, grinned to the man he spoke to, and hung his cape on the rack with several others.

Mina stood frozen in her steps as the gentleman in black walked swiftly towards her. He had a strange aura, one that made him seem magical. She stood as still as she possibly could, listening to the depth of his Eastern European accent, "Good evening, Miss," he reached down to kiss her politely on the hand, her blush prominent, "You are?"

"Mina Murray."

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Murray. Would you like to dance?"

She blushed, thinking of the way he so gently held her hand, "Sure."

He smiled, holding her waist firmly as he began to dance along to the music. Mina stared into his eyes, not wanting to abandon this moment. She finally felt the completion she desired, resting her chin on his shoulder. He pulled away as the song ended and looked at her for a moment, her steady heartbeat catching his attention. He pulled his thoughts away from her heart so that he won't become strange, "You are a good dancer, erm-"

"You may call me Count Dracula."

"Count," she curtsied before him, "I didn't know you were the count."

"I am," he bent over and gently kissed her hand before saying goodbye, "Goodnight, Mina. I hope you have a wonderful night," before she could go, her pulled her into his embrace and whispered, "I shall see you in your dreams."

* * *

That very night, she climbed out of her ball gown and watched as a cloud of mist formed around her window. Lucy had already been in her nightgown, sitting up in her bed and reading. Mina slipped into her nightgown and hoped into the bed opposite of Lucy's. She sat up for a while, writing down things into her journal as Lucy dropped the book and focused on Mina, "Are you writing about the count?"

"No," she blushed, "Alright, perhaps."

"Whatever you say Countess Dracula."

Mina giggled and blew out the candles on her nightstand, setting her journal down as well. Lucy smiled and blew out her candles, snuggling into the sheets of her bed. The thin layer of mist that was once waiting before the window had drifted in while they slept. It had taken the shape of a man and that man bared fangs, thirsty for blood. He smiled at Mina and quietly walked over to the Lucy's bed.

Lucy tossed and turned towards him, her head in the perfect position. Her arm flailed off the bed and the man bent over towards her neck. She breathed evenly as his fangs eased into her vein, sucking the blood he needed. She suddenly stopped breathing and only then did he stop, looking at his dead victim. He backed away and formed once again into a cloud of mist, spilling out of the window.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The first chapter wasn't that good, but I will do better this time. Thanks to those of you who chose to read my stories.**

Mina cried when she realized her friend was dead, Dr. Seward standing above her. He also wept, wishing his only love had not died. He examined her for any signs of sickness and found two, peculiar bumps on her throat. They were both the size of teeth, but there was no possible way an animal could have caused them. For the windows were closed every night. Dr. Seward stopped the examination and pronounced to Mina, "She is dead. There are no signs of life."

He took a deep breath and continued out of the room, leaving Mina to mourn. She heard footsteps, several of them, coming upstairs and turned to see Mr. Westenra come upstairs with the count, "You have a visitor, Mina."

"Thank you."

She eyed the count as he slowly approached her, bowing with grace. She returned his greeting with a curtsy and didn't spoke until spoken to, "It is tragic, I suppose. Some of our loved ones must die in order to see the heavens, however."

"You know exactly what to say," she gazed at the floor under her feet, looking sadly at the count's pale hand. He noticed her gaze and spoke softly once more.

"Was I in your dreams last night?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I felt dizzy, though, right when I woke up," she stared at the ground, rubbing her fingers together, "It was almost as if I'd been drugged," he turned his attention to the corpse on the bed and the back to Mina, who stared sadly at her fingers, "I feel like it's my fault."

"Death happens, Mina. It is no one's fault," he grinned once again, feeling the edges of his teeth with his tongue.

"How do you know so much about death?"

"Death was celebrated in my home country. Years ago, in Transylvania, we would celebrate the dead by bringing fossilized bones to the surface and burning them in a fire pit. Of course, the English find our ways strange so I had to give that up."

She couldn't stop thinking about the bones, maybe thousands of them, all burned. She widened her eyes at him, questioning his traditions. He only responded with a grim smile, "Tales of the sort are beyond your culture."

"I would like to know."

Dracula smirked at the thought of the tales, knowing they would entice her. He had several strange tales in his mind about seduction, murder, and everything in between. He took a deep breath and began a story about year 1400. She listened intently to his tale, feeling like she was going to sleep half-way through. He stopped speaking and let her return attention once again to his voice, "I am thinking you have had enough," he stood, sorting through his vest, and pulled out a single red rose, "It made me think of you. I hope that you like it."

"I love it. Thank you," she took in the scent of the rose, then laid it across her lap.

"If you came to the abbey tomorrow, I would certainly enjoy your company."

"I would be delighted to come. When will you have me?"

"Anytime after sunset. I will wait for you."

She sighed as he kissed her hand once again, the feeling staying as he left. Mr. Westenra came upstairs and gently covered Lucy's head with the blanket on the bed. He smiled half-heartedly at Mina, then returned downstairs when another knock sounded on the door. When he answered, a small old man shook his hand, "Greetings, sir. I am Dr. Van Helsing and man by the name of Westenra sent to me."

"I am Westenra. Please, come in doctor."

The small old man came through the door and set his hat on the rack, taking a look around. He inquired about the victim and upstairs they went to Mina's room. Mina still sat sadly on the bed until ordered by Mr. Westenra to leave. She did so, leaving Van Helsing and Westenra to their business, "Her fiancée is a doctor and he tried to do a diagnosis. Alas, there is no explanation."

"Oh, come now, Westenra. There is an explanation for everything. Let me see her," Van Helsing waited as he lifted the sheets and saw all that he needed, "Westenra, it appears your daughter was bitten by a vampire. Do you know any vampires?"

"A vampire? That is a myth, isn't it?"

"Vampires, I assure you, are very real. But the question is, do you know any?"

"Maybe. Strange things have been happening ever since Mina met Count Dracula."

"Count Dracula is subject on which people question. Is he here?"

"Why, yes. He is in the parlor with Mr. Murray."

"Alright. We shall try him later. We don't want to anger him in front of Miss Mina. I also don't have any of my supplies. I will come back tomorrow and check on things, if that is fine with you."

"I am perfectly fine with that. Thank you very much, Van Helsing."


	3. Chapter 3

Mina stepped out of the carriage feeling a tad light-headed. She approached the abbey with great question, not knowing what to expect from Count Dracula. When she entered the abbey, he was standing beside the window, gazing mindlessly outside. He turned to face her and whispered softly into her ear, "It is a peaceful night. I have something special I would like to give you."

"What is it?"

"It is not materialistic," she watched as he pulled a knife out of his pocket, paralyzed with fear. She knew this would probably be the end of her life, until he pulled up his shirt sleeve. Mina didn't know what to think when he cut into his arm, "I want you to drink it."

"This is absurd!"

"Drink it, Mina. Your life depends on it!"

She was forced to drink his blood as he held his cut arm to her lips. Mina, after a few mouthfuls of his blood, was allowed a glass of water to soothe the pain in her throat. She heard a hissing sound and turned quickly, shielding his mouth, "What is wrong?"

He felt his lips become swollen, ready to latch onto her throat, "Leave, Mina! I do not want you seeing me like this!"

She obeyed and ran out the door only to hearing the sound of hissing get worse. That night, when she rode home in the carriage, she could not stop thinking about his pain. She stepped into Jack's house, allowed to stay since Lucy's death. However, when she was inside, she saw Jack, Mr. Westenra, and a strange old man all gathered around the table.

They eyed Mina strangely and summoned her into the room. When she sat down, the old man introduced himself as Dr. Van Helsing. He asked in monotone, "Did he do anything, Mina? Anything strange?"

"He made me drink his blood. I do not know-"

"You must send for him. Try to call him in your mind."

"I do not want to see him again!"

"You must. We need to see if he is what I think he is."

Mina called to him in her thoughts and to much of her amazement, he appeared. He came through the porch door and glanced at the ensemble before him, apologizing, "You must accept my apology Dr. Seward. Mina told me to comfort her tonight."

"That is fine, but we had questions for you. Mina, would mind going in another room?"

She shook her head and dashed out of the room in a hurry as the count watched the ensemble grimly. Dr. Van Helsing pulled an item out of his bag that made Dracula question, "I apologize, sir. I have not had the liberty of meeting you."

"I am Dr. Van Helsing. Please, count, I want to know your honest opinion. What do you think of this?"

Van Helsing pulled an ordinary hand mirror and held it at the count's face. Dracula reacted violently by throwing the mirror to floor. His expression was horrific, as was his stance, "I apologize, Dr. Seward. I have a strong hatred of mirrors. Van Helsing will surely explain."

Van Helsing watched in awe as the count disappeared through the door. He seemed to evaporate, once outside, into a cloud of mist, "Dr. Seward, I think we have our vampire."

"Our what?" Mina stepped into the room in a very confused state of mind, "Our vampire?"

"Yes, Mina," Dr. Van Helsing approached her slowly and rested a hand on her shoulder, "That is why he made you drink his blood. It tells him that you will be forever loyal."

She stared calmly at Van Helsing and then turned her attention to Jack. Jack was also strangely calm about this, but Van Helsing was worried for Mina, "I think I love him."

"Mina, you must find a way to fight these feelings."

"I don't want to. Ever since John left me, he has always been there. He has been a gentleman to me, except for the blood, but I didn't care. I felt that since it was important him, it should be important to me."

"Mina, he wants to bite you. That is all a vampire wants. He wants virgin blood and you have it."

"I don't care what you say. I am going with him."

"No!"

"Mina!" Jack watched as she disappeared out the back door, following the mist she did not know was the count.


	4. Chapter 4

Mina watched the fog around her feet start to rise above her head and slowly start to thin out, a dog replacing. She stared at the strange, large dog and began to run towards the abbey, however, she wasn't fast enough. The dog caught up and trampled her to the ground, then morphing into Dracula himself, "You were coming back?"

"Yes. I don't care what they think anymore," she stood with his help, "I want to be with you forever."

"You know what that entails, right?"

She nodded and followed him happily into the abbey. Once there, he smiled devilishly and began to kiss her neck. She held him tightly and waited for his fangs to pierce her throat. He hissed, feeling his lips swell, and sank into the softest spot on her neck. She whimpered at the force of his bite and felt her energy slowly drain away.

When he saw her eyes close, he knew that his work was completed. With the last mouthful of blood, he let go of her neck and her head hung limply. He supported her in his arms and carried her upstairs to revive her. Mina's pulse, still strong, kept him believing that she would be fine. Since she did drink his blood, he knew that when she died she would be just like him...a vampire.

She slowly opened her eyes after being rubbed on the forehead with cold water. Mina stared at his pale fingers as he stroked her forehead with towel. After he realized she had woken up, he set the towel on the bed and kissed her forehead. Mina grabbed one of his hands and began to examine his sharp fingernails, ones that could cut into anything, "This is what you will become, Mina."

"I understand. But I don't care. I just want to be with you."

XxXxXxXx

Dr. Van Helsing scratched the grays of his hair, thinking about what to do to make Mina see the danger she was in. Jack only watched as the old man tried to come up with a plan. He also thought of ways Mina could see the danger, knowing that his bride to be had died from this man. Dr. Van Helsing shot up from the chair, searching around in his bag. Jack watched as he picked out a book and began reading, a smile glazing his lips, "We could tell her not only the hardships of vampirism, but the life it will lead her to."

"That is perfect!" A large bump came from Lucy's upstairs room and the men rushed upstairs in a hurry. When Jack opened the door, he saw the bed sheets folded down and Lucy's body gone, "Dr. Van Helsing! Lucy's body is gone!"

"It seems that when his victims die, they become one of him."

"What about Mina? What is her future?"

"I believe she will also become a vampire."

XxXxXxXx

Mina looked at her surroundings and reached up to touch a strange bite mark on her neck. When she got out of bed, she saw Dracula standing in a corner the room, eyeing her every movement. He stared at the bite mark on her neck and smiled, kissing it as if he was to make it better. She gently touched his hand and eyed his fingernails again, "What do you use them for?"

"Grip. Sometimes people get away."

"You mean..."

"Yes. I need the blood or I go weak. When you become one, you will, too."

Mina stared at his eyes that faded from a deep red into a pure blue. He smiled and kissed her lips, his fangs caressing her bottom lip. She pulled away and stared as his fangs as they shortened, becoming regular canines, "Is it painful?"

"Slightly. But you will get used to it in time."

"I'm sure. Oh, count," she wrapped him in her arms, gently kissing the scar on his neck, "I never want this to end."

"When you become my kind, it won't have to."

"How old are you?"

"Four hundred forty."

She smiled, acknowledging his age, "I suppose there is a rather large gap between four hundred forty and twenty."

A gentle chuckle emanated from his throat, "At least I can pass off as a thirty-year-old."


	5. Chapter 5

Mina couldn't find a way to contain herself that following day. He promised a journey to his castle his Transylvania and although she would be leaving her entire life behind in England, she knew beginning another life in Transylvania wouldn't be too hard. That very, when she started to pack her dresses at Jack's house, she felt her gums start to bleed. She rushed into the bathroom and in front of the mirror, holding her top lips up to see what was happening. She groaned as her gums tore and her canines fell out, worrying her.

They were lose and she had no other choice but to pull them out. Her gums were still tearing and she cried, trying to ignore the pain it gave her. She hoped that Dr. Van Helsing wasn't here, since he would probably loose his mind if he found out she was 'one of them'.

She saw the fangs pour out of her gums and the mirror hurt to look at. She hissed and ran out of the bathroom in a hurry, packing faster. Mina looked up quickly and felt the sharp pain of something against her stomach. She aggressively ripped off the chain around her neck and watched the crucifix drop to the floor. Her eyes widened and she locked her bag, rushing downstairs.

To her sad surprise, Dr. Van Helsing waited for her downstairs. She tightly closed her mouth, feeling the fangs get shorter to about the size of her canines, "Are you alright, Mina? I heard hissing upstairs."

"I am fine."

"Why do you have a bag?" She looked momentarily at the bag in her hand, "Mina?"

"The count said he would take me to Transylvania with him. Permanently."

"And you actually wish to go with him?"

"Why so many questions?!" She realized her anger, but didn't care, "Yes. I do wish to go with him. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"Wait just a minute, Mina," her anger had returned and her eyes, in the dim light of the evening, were glowing brightly. Dr. Van Helsing, without her knowing, pulled a lump of garlic from his pocket and held it under her chin. She panicked and backed away from the garlic quickly, "Just as I suspected."

"You better watch yourself, Van Helsing, or you could become my first victim."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Later on, the count emptied the soil from his coffin into a bag. He would be having it shipped out in a few days and, without Mina knowing, his plans were to fly to Romania. From then on, he could buy her the clothing she would need. Coinsedentaly, she came into the room, staring as he dropped the bag into the pocket of his trousers, "I thought you said we were going on a train?"

"I am testing you. Tonight, I will help you transform into the flying monster you were once afraid of."

"I can do that?"

"Of course. You thought being my kind didn't come with some sort of gift? Transforming is quite difficult, but good fun once you know how to do it. Come, I'll show you."

"What about my bags?"

"I will have my men send them off for you. They won't come for a few weeks, but I can get you clothing in Transylvania. Now, come. We fly," She followed out in the open and watched as, in a single swirl, morphed into a bat. He looked nothing like himself, except for the voice that spoke to her, "You must think like one, Mina. Try hard. Just imagine your wings."

She imagined squeezing into the small, quick body of a bat. Pointed ears, lengthy wings, and sharp claws. She felt her feet rise and opened her eyes to her new body. Her vision was gone, blind as a bat, she thought, "Follow my voice."

As she followed the waves of his call, she found herself beating the air like nothing. Almost as if it was second nature. She knew that a life with him would be one to enjoy, that was until something pulled them out of the sky.

**A/N: I know it is late and I deeply apologize. But lately, I have been having a little romance of my own and I've been a bit preoccupied. **


End file.
